NSS  NewS,January�008 19

Return to Painted Cavetext & photos by Dave Bunnell

View out the 130-foot high entrance (left) and above, perhaps the best of my previous attempts to illuminate the inner chamber, back in the early 1980s, using 400 ASA black and white film and a single M3 flashbulb shot from the rowboat.

AvisittoPaintedCaveonSantaCruzIslandwill impresseventhemostjadedofcavers,andforeverchangeyourimpressionofwhataseacavecanbe.Itsprominent1�0-highentranceengulfsthree-fourthstheheightofthebasalticcliff-faceinwhichitlies.Above,asmallstreambedfollowsastraight-arrowcoursealongthefaultthatguidedthecave’sdevelopment. Inwettermonths,awaterfallfromitsometimestumblesovertheroofofthecave.

IhadfirstvisitedPaintedCavein1980,justaftermoving toCalifornia,and theexperiencefueledthefiresthat ledmetoinvestigatehundredsofseacavesthroughouttheChannelIslandsandalongthemainlandcoast.AlongthewaymyfriendsandIfoundmany impressiveseacaves,manymorecomplexandsomeequallybeautiful,butnoneaslengthyorthatimpartedthesamesenseofgrandeurthatPaintedCavedoes.

PaintedwasoneofthefirstcaveswesurveyedaspartofthenewbornCaliforniaSeaCaveSurvey in198�,andat1�1�feetcurrentlyranksasthelongest,thoughperhapsnotthelargestvolume,seacaveintheworld.Ourmapwaspublishedinanarticle ina198�NSS News,andisalsovisibleoncartographerBobRichards’website(www.cavegraphics.com/PaintedCave.html).Overthecourseofthenextfewyearsaswesurveyedcavesontheisland,Iwouldmakereturnvisitstotryandphotographitslargeinnerchamberwithonlymoderate

success,despiteusingflashbulbs.Avisit toPaintedCavefirstrequires

crossingthe��nauticalmilesoftheSantaBarbaraChanneltoSantaCruzIsland. Itliesontheruggedwestend,asectionoftheislandwithmilesofvolcaniccliffsupto�00feethigh,andfewsafeanchoragesthatprotectagainstthetypicalwestswellthatcankickupinthisarea.Tovisit,weoftenanchorinwhatwecalltheSeal’sCove,asmallcoveseveralhundredfeetwestofthecave,itselfhometothreelargeandunusualcaves.Incalmweatheronemightanchordirectlyin

frontofPainted,butit isfairlydeep(over80feet)andhaslittleroomtolayoutmuchanchorlineinsloppyconditions.

Thecave’s impressive1�0-foot-highx100-foot-wideentranceliesatthebackofasmallcove.Thereisplentyoflightasyoutraversethefirst6�0feet,theceilingsoaringfaroverhead.Thewallsaresplashedwithdepositsofgreen,orange,white,andpurple,whichgavethecaveitsname.Theceilingheightgraduallystairstepsdowninheight,butthewidthremains�0to7�feet.At6�0feetin,theceilinglowerstoabout

�0 NSS  NewS,January�008

1�feethigh(dependingonthetidelevel)andthepassagenarrowstoabout��feet.Beyond lies the InnerChamber,aroommeasuring1�0x170feet,andalmost�0feethighatitsmaximum.Butasidefromasmallpatchofsunlighthittingtheleftwall,itisoneofthedarkestplacesI’veeverbeenunderground.Thisisduebothtothedark,volcanicwallsandtothefactthattheflooriswall towallwater,whichasanycavephotographerknows,cansuckuplightlikeablackhole.Withstronglights,youcanfollowtwopassagesthatextendfromtheInnerChambertocobblebeachesoneitherside.

InMayof�006,Iwasontheislandtorenewexplorationanddophotographyforarevisionofmylongout-of-printbookontheislandcaves(seereferences).WithmewereDanClardy,MartinHaye,andDanSnyder.AspartoftheitineraryIreturnedtoPaintedCaveforthefirsttimeinalmost�0yearswiththeintentionoffinallybaggingagoodphotoofthatever-so-darkandhard-to-photographinterior.Ihadhordesofantiquescrewbaseflashbulbs,atripod,andagooddigitalDSLRtuckedinsidethehatchesofmyseakayak.Therewasafairswellrunning,andasweapproached theentranceofthecavewecouldseethattheconditionslookedabitsloppy.Theconditionsseemedmanageableaswepaddledin,butoncewereachedtheinnerchamberweweregreetedbyominousthunderingcrashesofwavesinthedarkinterior.Worseyet,theswellswerebeingcompressedandamplifiedastheywentthroughtheconstrictedentrancetotheInnerChamber.AtseveralpointsIfeltIwouldbepickedupandhurledintothedarkrecessesofthecave.Iquicklyrealizedthatconditionswerefartooextremeformyphotoconcepts,whichinvolvedlandingonledgestomount

thecameraonatripod.Soweoptedforaspeedyexit…

ItwasoverayearbeforeIreturned,inOctoberof�007, this timewithDanClardy,JohnLovaas,andNancyPistole.Fallisgenerallythecalmesttimeintheislands,buttherewasabitofuncertaintyastheareahadrecentlyhadsmallcraftadvisoriesinthewakeofthestrongSantaAnawindsthathadstokedthewidespreadfiresinsouthernCalifornia.Theforecastwasforconditionstogetbetteroverourfour-dayvisit,soIkeptmyfingerscrossed.

Thistripprovedveryproductivewithseveral largenewseacavesmapped,andonourthirdmorningweanchoredintheSeal’sCoveforanewshotataPaintedCavephotosafari.ThistimeIhadanewtool,aone-of-a-kindflashgunI’dbuilt thatcouldfirelargeflashbulbsaboveandbelowwateratthesametime.Thisseemedtheeasiestway forsomeone inakayak tomanagethisfeat.Asyoucanprobablytellbytheaccompanyingphotos,thistimeconditionsinthecavewereextremelymellow.JohnandIwereabletolandonledgesontherightsideoftheroomandhauloutourkayaks.AcoupleofCaliforniasealionswereatthefarendofthisledgebutdecidedtovacateafterafewloud,protestingbarksatus.Thepopulationofsea lionswasconsiderablysmaller thanonemightencounter inthespring,anotherreasonI’dchosenthistimeofyear.Fortunately,oneofthesealsonthefarsideoftheroomstooditsgroundandaddedanicetouchtothepanoramaphotoreproducedontheadjacentpage.

Mostofthephotosreliedonacombi-nationofclear screwbase#�0andM�flashbulbs,withthecameraopenforabout�seconds.Thiscapturedabitofthenaturallightaswell.Weusedacombinationofflashfired fromthe ledgesand insomecasesfromeachoftwokayaksoutinthewater.Ashoped,theunderwaterflashgaveaniceblue-greenglowtothewaterakintowhatwe’veobservedinseacavesthathavesmallunderwateropeningsthatadmit lightintootherwisedarkinteriors.Becauseitwascalm,wewereabletodounsynchedmultiple-flashofthekayakswithverylittlefuzzinessfromtheboats’movement.Evenwith thebig

flashbulbs,IneededtouseanISOof6�0onmycameratogetmorepunchoutofthem,andherewasthebeautyofagoodDSLR.Forthemostpartthecustomflashworkedwellexceptthatthebulbsunderwaterwouldfractureandmakereloadingthemdifficult,soNancywouldhavetopaddletoshorewherewecouldremovethebaseofthebulbwithaLeathermantool.Andaswithalloldbulbswehadafewmisfires.Butoverall Iwasquitepleasedwiththeresults,owinginnosmallparttothecompetenceofmyassistants,andwewrappeduptheshootinaboutanhour.

BackintheSeal’sCove,IdecidedthatagoodwaytoexpendafewmorebulbswouldbetolandinHiddenRoomCaveattherearofthecove.Thisunusualseacavehasalargedrychamberinitwithasteepcobblebeach,andevenmoreunusualforaseacave,ithasflowstoneandstalactites,invarioushuesofred,orangeandyellow.Althoughalsopopularwithseals,onlyonewashangingoutneartheentranceaswemadeaneasylandinganddraggedourboatsupinside.Itcontinuedtowatchusfromtheentranceasweproceededtofireoffaseriesofbulbstoilluminatethislargeroomaswell.Sadly,alion’stailformationIhadnotedinthecavesome�0yearspreviousappearedtobegone.Toohighforavisitortosnapoff,Isuspectthatitwaseitheravictimofsomefiercestormsorsimplycollapsedunderitsownweight.

As far as I’ve been able to determine, aside from my earlier shots, these are the first published images showing the dark interior of the world’s longest sea cave.

referencesBunnell,D.andVesely,C.TheAmazing

SeaCavesofSantaCruzIsland,NSS News,February198�

Bunnell,D.SeaCavingintheChannelIslands-ADecadeof IntertidalAdventure.NSS News,June199�

Bunnell,D.Sea Caves of Santa Cruz Island,McNally-Loftin,SantaBarbara,CA1988.

A group of California sea lions on a ledge in the Inner Chamber

Two-in-one flash unit constructed by the author to allow firing simultaneous bulbs above and below the water. Switch is on the end opposite the reflector. Length is about 3.5 feet.

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Two shots were stitched to make this panorama of Painted Cave’s inner Chamber. Some daylight is visible to the left of the far kayak, and a patch of wall lit by it between the two kayaks. Five flashbulbs were used in total. Note the California sea lion sitting upright on the rocks at right.

Below, three bulbs were used in this shot, one from shore and one from each kayak. The underwater bulb didn’t fire on this one. To the right of the red kayak is a sharp edge formed where the two faults forming the chamber intersect..